Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-11
AN ANGEL OR A DEVIL.
The Closing Remarks of Attorney General
Hogg In the Willis Case.

The Closing Remarks of Attorney General
Hogg In the Willis Case.
AUSTIN, TEN, March 2, 1857,
To the Editor of the Gazette.
Judge Frank Willis has once more
come before the high forum of the law
making power Of the state government,
TO answer to the charge of COLLISION,
fraud and corruption in office. He has
been nobly represented by learned coun-
sci, whose eloquent appeals and able ar
guments have rendered oil the Gefanse
that laborious search and legal acumen can
draw from the musty depths of bygone
ages, or can Gull from the precedeHts
Of modern law books. He has been en-
vironed, too, by the support of q number
of IiCh and influential friends, who have
neither spared money nor Influence to
bring to his aid all the means available
Tor his defeuse. He was accorded q pa
tent hearing before q select committee,
where he was given all privileges granted
under q liberal construction of the
rights of defendants in criminal
trials, before an impartial court.
1t was a solemn and grand spectacle that
met the eyes Of the behOlders VINO entered
the Representative hall yesterday
noon, when Attorney General Hogg, for
the state Of Texas, facing the defendant
and his counsel, surrounded by the Rep
resentatives of the Lower House of the
Legislature, uttered these burning words:
"In conclusion, l ask you to take d look
at Judge Willis on the bench at that
court, representing Justice! See him in
his judicial ermine, holding the scales
equally balanced. View him, bhndfold-
ed, with arms outstretched, weighing the
rights CT the state and of the accused.
Behold him, posing there as the purest of
mortals, removed from the influences of
interest, prejudice and passion, guard
ing with equal jealousy the respective
claims Of Texas and Of those cattle
barons.
"SuCh is al enviable picture! On the
other hand, clear up your visions, lay
aside your fancy and meet stern facts face
to face. Look at the man playing traitor
to the bench, in judicial ermine! See
him with the folds from his eyes
and the scales of justice from his hands.
Behold him witnessing the test made by
the COwman's long arm, rusty steelyards
in the hands of Bonus WOodman and
the defendants lawyers. View him as
he trem0lingly crouches upon his seat
and watches those liberal lords called up
for trial,
"There are stocked before him those
eighty-SiX mOnstrOus indictments-the
five days work of the self-cOnfessed Grim
inaIs; to his right sits q Jury composed
chiefly of their employees; TO the lett
stands the Sheriff in their pay; in front
poses that mild-mannered District AtLOr-
ney on salary by them, and surrounding
him from every source arises the foul
fumes of conspiracy, fraud and corruption
which every honest man there smells
with disgust agd shame! And all for
Justice: God spare the term.
"ThoSe doubtful balances Qucstionably
held are raised up in contempt before the
court. In steps a self-indicted cuIprit TO
be weighed. With him he takes eight of
his employees, hispaid sheriff, his salaried
district attorney, and calls on his three
able counsel to place their heavy hands
on his shoulders to hold the thing down;
looks arouLd, sees his comrades in crime
there watching and waiting to assist him, /
and then he complacently casts wistful /
lock upon His Honor and yells out: !.
1 LII ACudJ W AdL NOuEl-luItS lLlG Hill /
pOiSe placed on the long arm to produce |
an equilibrium: What is it? The verbal /
of the lawyers, Not wit /
ness IS added there to give weight; not
man raises his hand sincerely to draw
down the beam for the state; but, already
tipped, it is Lever shaken or lowered |
from its high-fastened place! A few
minutes pass, silence prevails and 'nis
honor announces solemnly from the
bench that the defendant outweighs the
state; that he has won! Thus, for fifty
six times, this unprecedented perform
anCe is gone through with in open court.
and yet we are told that this man is a
ust Judge. That he is innocent and de-
serves to continue to wear the mantle
If the purest of proud pro-
essiOn. Yes, he's innocent. Innocent,
les, innocent. II he were reveling in
he lurid plsy grounds OF hell, side by
side with monster imps, tossing here and
here human souls as foot balls, he would
)e too innocent to even suspect that the
of the devil was about him.
les, he's too innocent! From all the
acts in this case; if he is not guilty, then
crank Willis is too pure to hold human
'tltce. II ne is guilty, he's too corrupt :
o I'LL the dirtiest place. From the in
orn dictates of conscience, the inspired I
principles of duty, the pure instincts of g.. !.
levated manhood you ought to act I
tand by the law, invoke the principles :
f justice and purify the judiciary of our !
rand and noble state by forever retiring
rank Willis from the Office of District q
Judge" L
AT the conclusion of his argument the !
louise adjourned until 3 o'clock 2. m, >
nd when they reassembled in their hall =
motion was made and carried by a :
Ho-thirds vote sustaining the charges l
gainst Judge Willis. The matter will 7
ow go before the Senate Thursday next, d
nd that august body will perform the d
st solemn act in the investigation. :
JUSTICE. +